Julius Caesar And Pompey example essay topic

For thousands of years people have been fascinated with Ancient Egypt, whether it is gods, mummies or the Pharaohs of Egypt. One in particular is Cleopatra VII. Cleopatra lived from 69 b. c-30 b. c, and was the last Queen of Egypt. In her life she had two major relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, both of which were rulers of Rome.

During her short life Cleopatra had four children, one with Caesar and three with Antony. Both of the relationships ended with the male dying. After Antony's death Cleopatra killed herself. In 48 b. c Ptolemy's advisors stripped Cleopatra of her power and was thrown into exile in Syria. Determined to regain her throne, Cleopatra amassed an army on Egypt's border. While this was happening Julius Caesar and Pompey, care taker of Cleopatra, were fighting over control of the Roman Empire.

As Pompey lost he was driven back to Alexandria where he was stabbed to death as the Pharaoh Ptolemy X watched on, who was also under Pompey's care. A few days later Caesar arrived in Alexandria in search of Pompey but as the Romans got there the Egyptians gave them a little present, the head of Pompey. Caesar did not like they had murdered Pompey, so they marched into the city gained control over the palace and started making orders. At the time the Pharaoh and Cleopatra were still fighting, so Caesar ordered them to disarm their armies and meet before him so they can settle the dispute. According to National Geographic, Cleopatra was smarter then most and she realized she would be killed on the spot if she walked freely into the city of Alexandria. She had herself rolled up in an oriental rug and delivered to the Palace.

When they unraveled the rug Cleopatra rolled out. And it is said that Caesar fell immediately in love with her and they soon became lovers. When Ptolemy found out he was furious shouting out that Cleopatra was a traitor. Caesar caught the Pharaoh and held him as a prisoner. But the Pharaohs army told Caesar that they would attack the Palace, so Ptolemy was set free, but still the army attacked.

The Alexandrian war lasted for six months until Pothinus a leader of the army was killed, and Arsine, Cleopatra's sister, also one of the leaders was caught. While trying to escape over the Nile River Ptolemy drowned, the army then surrendered to Caesar. Restoring Cleopatra to the throne, who then had to marry her even younger brother Ptolemy XIV who at the time was eleven. Soon after the victory Caesar took Cleopatra on a two month voyage down the Nile. Suetonius, a Roman Historian, said they would have traveled all the way to Ethiopia if the could have. This is when they were believed to conceive their first child Ptolemy XV, called Caesar ion.

After the cruise Caesar left for Rome, leaving three legions to protect Cleopatra. A year later Caesar invited the family to visit him in Rome, Cleopatra stayed there for two years when one day Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of conspirators at a senate meeting. Cleopatra fled to Egypt thinking that she might be in danger. When they returned she had Ptolemy XIV poisoned and her son took the role of her co-regent.